Sony unveils new Digital Paper office-based tablet

Sony has unveiled a new office-orientated tablet which utilizes the E-Ink display to mimic a piece of A4 paper. The electronics giant believes that its Digital Paper will be an instant hit with professionals who are often overwhelmed by the sheer mass of physical paper thrown on their desks each day.

The Digital Paper tablet is being targeted at desk-bound professionals such as lawyers and government officials, offering them a rare chance to streamline an office setting which, in most instances, is still a paper-based environment. The device will be able to convert Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel files into PDF format, and with its USB and Wi-Fi connectivity, said files can be easily shared with colleagues, expediting the work process.

Bob Nell, director of Digital Paper Solutions of Sony Electronics, stated that, "This is a true replacement for the vast amounts of paper that continue to clutter many offices and institutions." He went on to espouse the virtues of the new tablet saying, "It is very easy to use and optimized for reading and annotating contracts, white papers, scholarly articles and legislation."

The Wi-Fi-enabled tablet has 9.25 x 12.25 x 0.28 in (23.5 x 31 x 0.71 cm) dimensions, and weighs in at around 12.6 oz (357 g). The Digital Paper boasts a 13.3 inch E-Ink Mobius screen, which will allow users to annotate a document whilst resting their hand on the tablet, encouraging a natural writing style. The tablet hosts 4 GB of internal storage and features a microSD card slot for additional storage.

The Digital Paper tablet offers a display resolution of 1200 x 1600 dots and runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which Sony says will last for three weeks without charging. Overall the device promises to be one of the world's slimmest and lightest tablets when competing with those of a similar screen real estate, while being only as thick as 30 sheets of A4 paper.

The new office buddy is due to be available in May, initially through select Worldox agents, and has been given a suggested price tag of $1,100.